The 2022 Annual Recap continues today with the month of March! A month that should have been dominated by top-level sport and the opening of the LGCT and GCL season was unfortunately overshadowed by the war in Ukraine. The equestrian community worldwide came to the rescue, condemning the Russian actions ...
In the month of March, the conflict between Russia and Ukraine escalated, and Europe was rocked by a message of war. The international equestrian sport reacted quickly and decisively, with the FEI banning all Russian and Belarusian athletes, horses and officials from further participation in their events. Several stables offered shelter to Ukrainian refugees, both riders and horses, and numerous fundraisers were also set up. Top stallions Comme Il Faut and Cornet Obolensky could also be evacuated from the war zone already this month. In addition, the EU responded by banning the trade of luxury goods with Russia, which also restricted the sale of horses to and from Russia. Finally, at the end of March, the FEI and EEF came out with a comprehensive update on the situation in Ukraine, discussing how to proceed.
In addition, top sport in the rest of the world fortunately did continue, and the 2022 Longines Global Champions Tour and Global Champions League season officially opened in Doha on March 1. Here, the Stockholm Hearts jumped to victory in the opening round of the GCL, and Ludger Beerbaum captured the first "golden ticket" for the LGCT Super Grand Prix in Prague. It was also announced later in the month that Dutch equestrian entrepreneur Jan Tops was once again the sole owner of the Longines Global Champions Tour and League. Even more top sport was offered with The Duch Masters in 's-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands, and Saut Hermès in Paris.
Furthermore, this month we had to say goodbye to the highly respected international veterinarian Alessandro Centinaio, Canadian Olympic champion Eric Lamaze announced his retirement from show jumping, and there was joyous news at Ashford farm with the newborn son of Enda en Stefanie Carroll. In addition, news also reached us that GP mare Twentytwo des Biches, after an unfortunate fall with Bryan Balsiger in Paris, underwent successful surgery and could begin her long recovery.
The United States Equestrian Team (USET) Foundation's 2022 took place in New York, where the honorees included Mimi Gochman and Laura Kraut. At the EQUI-Gala in Brussels, Quel Homme de Hus was honored as "Horse of the Year," and the Belgian show jumping team went home with the "Performance of the Year" trophy. During The Dutch masters, the IJOC award award was presented to Willem Luiten for his extraordinary contribution to the IJOC and to the equestrian sport in show jumping.
Finally, the EEF also established a sustainability working group this month to develop a new strategy for sustainable practices within their member federations and the wider European equestrian area.
Source: Equnews